Don't Kvetch, Organize….(OK, you can kvetch a little, but then try to get over it and organize).

Feedback on interfaith dialogues (on yesterday’s entry)

October 30, 2007

1. from Hawaii

“I also liked the comments about interfaith dialogue. Such gatherings have begun to give me nausea. I think it’s all the ernestness and sincerety that never seem to go anywhere except to end in a lot of mutual congratulations
about how nice we all are to each other.”

rjp: yes – this is the danger…that such dialogues will degenerate into this kind of hollow structured politeness (that or that they collapse entirely when things don’t go the way one group wants). many have. perhaps if they were more action oriented – around a peace campaign or human rights theme they might be more vibrant. my own experience with them is that they tend to be rather paralyzing and that the paralysis sets in quite quickly. still, they seem to have genuine unrealized potential.

2. from Eugene Fitzpatrick of Denver

Reading the CPJN of 10/29/07 my antenna perked up upon reading that there seemed a dearth of Catholics at the Abrahamic Initiative event of the day before at St. John’s Cathedral. In 2006, at a blatantly Islamophobic talk at the John Paul II Center on South Steele, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese included in his unabashedly racist screed the fact ( and I paraphrase) that they (the leaders of the Archdiocese) deliberately have no truck with the Abrahamic Initiative as the lack of commonality between them (the Muslims) and the Catholics makes dialogue valueless. Having been impressed by the neocon behavior of Chaput and his satraps for some time before this, the comment from Francis Meier (the Chancellor) was a ‘suspicions are confirmed’ moment as one appreciates that not talking with the adversary is one of the more egregious characteristics of the glob of thuggery steering our poor beleaguered ship of state. I haven’t the shadow of a doubt that the Denver Catholic leadership has been orchestrating animus towards the Muslim community for years and with some success for their efforts.
– Gene Fitzpatrick (who has been a Catholic considerably longer than His Royal Worship, Charley C.) –

note: Gene’s comment also appears in the guest book of this website.

3. from an Abrahamic Initiative Participant

I share your disappointment with Nihad Awad’s failure to address Islamophobia in any very direct way, the apparent withdrawal of the Catholic and Jewish voices from the Abrahamic initiative, and how all lose when they do that, but that the process should continue.

4. from a member of Friends of Sabeel

Hi — I agree with Sunday’s presentation. We drove like mad to get there (and even then were a little late.) But I really didn’t hear anything worth the drive — nothing new or helpful.